Here's Why Russia Has Sent $13 Billion Worth Of Weaponry To India In Recent Years

Russia has sent an extraordinary amount of weaponry to India,
which was the
world's largest arms importer in 2013. Vladimir Putin's
government has been aggressive in its stance towards Europe and
the west — while cultivating one of the developing world's
emerging powers as the leading recipient of Russian arms.

In comparison, the U.S. sent just under $2 billion to India over
the same timeframe, according to SIPRI.

"It's not surprising that India is its biggest customer and that
U.S. sales to India are not comparable," Matt Schroeder, an arms
sales expert with Small Arms Survey, told Business
Insider. He explained that
the U.S. became suspicious of India after the country developed
and then tested nuclear weapons in the late 1990s. American sales
to the world's second-most populous nation did not increase until
after the September 11th terrorist attacks.

During the lull in relations,
India looked to other suppliers — Russia included.

"It takes years, sometimes decades, to transition away from one
supplier to another," Schroeder said. "I think India is pretty
leery about putting all of its eggs in the U.S. basket to begin
with. The U.S. tends to sanction countries when they kind of fall
foul of U.S. arms exports criteria, and the Russians don't
generally do that. They don't tend to sanction regimes for their
behavior."

Schroeder said that for that reason, he would be surprised if
India ever decided to import as much weaponry from the U.S. as it
does from Russia.

Overall, India imports far more in weaponry than China, another
rising power with a population of over 1 billion.

Schroeder said this is because China has a much more robust
domestic defense industry than India, and no longer needs to
purchase as many weapons. The Chinese imported technology from
Russia during the 1980's and 1990's before the country developed
its own ability to produce advanced weaponry on a large scale.

India is further behind in that regard — which means it will have
to depend on powerful external suppliers, including ones whose
interests and policies might be diametrically opposed to those of
the United States. So India is an ideal place for Russia to build
favor and influence. It's a large, ambitious country with
an independent-minded foreign policy,
and active
security threats on its borders — and
a domestic arms industry that can't keep up with its policies or
perceived security needs.

Its complicated history with the United States presents Putin
with an opportunity as well, and a chance to undercut U.S. in one
of Asia's most strategically vital countries.

Weapons sales are one way that Russia can build influence with
rising powers — turning key states like India into another
potential battleground between Putin and the U.S.